Door opener



R. N. FLACK ET AL DOOR QPENER June 29 1926.

Filed oct.

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R, N. FLACK ET AL DOOR OPENER Filed Oct. 28, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N E N Lw 1N VENTOR WITNESS Patented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROY' N. FLACK AND LEWS D. STURM, 0E PORTLAND, OREGON.

'DOOR OPENER.

Application filed'. October 28, 1924. Spral No. 748,311.

Our invention relates to door openers which are especially useful for garage doors, which however may be used to advantage in other places where it -is desirable to open and close doors from a distance.` This invention Consists of a reversible motor, distant starting switches, a cross head reeipro` cated by the motor, and cut-out switches actuated by the movement of the cross head. The doors are connected with the cross head by means of links.

The' objects of our invention are to provide a door opener which positively opens and closes doors from a distance; which is easy to install, economical in operation, simple in manipulation, yand fool-proof in construction.

Other objects and advantages are to be found in the construction and arrangement of parts as will be described in the specifica tion, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

We attain these objects with the mecha nism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- F ig. 1 is a plan View of the door opener detached from the ceiling.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is a diagram of a garage, indicating the position of the door opener at the ceiling, the distant starting switches for the motor, and the manner in which the door opener is connected with the doors.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The base board 1 is to be attached to a ceiling or any other suitable overhead support, with the operating mechanism either up or down. At one end of the base board is a box 2 containing standard cut-out switches, the exposed handles of which are shown at 3. A standard outlet 4 sends the connecting wires 5 to the,y reversible motor 6. A lead screw 7 extends from the axis of the motor 6 to the other end of the base board 1 and is there supported in a bracket or hanger 8. A similar hanger 9 supports receive the holes 14 tor the links to be enumerated later. A tongue 15 is integrally attached to the cross heat 12 and projects to the same height as the lhangers 8 and 9 and parallel thereto. The lead screw 7 is screwably mounted in the tongue 15 and propels and important functions; one is to absorb the initial thrust of the approaching cross head 12 until the compression in the spring becomes equal to or greater than the resist- .ance oiiered by the trip rod 16, whereupon the latter, and therewith the cut-out switches, will be snapped quickly from one position into another-an essential requirement in switch operation; the other is to stop the momentum of the motor 6 after the current has been cut oil, which results quite naturally through the resistance encountered 'by the cross head 12 when the spring 18 comes to a final backing against .the respective hanger. The third function is exercised in the following emergency: it is conceivable that for some reason or other the cut-out switches might fail to work properly. It the threads on the lead screw were continuous throughout the Ientire,

ends as shown at 19. l/Vhen the tongue 15 on the cross head 12 has left the thread on the lead screw 7 and entered the space of diminished diameter no further travel of the cross head can take place, though the motor continue to revolve indenitely. However, as soon as the revolution of thelmotor is reversed, the pressure of the spring 18 against the tongue 15 will cause the threadsof lead screw 7 and tongue 15 to engage readily and to send the cross head 12 in the opposite Idirection.

The operation of the door opener can best be explained by means of the diagram in Fig. 3. The walls of the garage are indicated by the numerals .20, the doors by 21,

driver from his seat.

should appear desirable. As the driver approaches the garage, he irst operates the switch 24 which opens the doors 2l to the position indicated by the dotted lines. ln leaving the garage by a rear exit, the manipulation of the switch 26 closes the doors. in leaving the garage by automobile., the driver may also close the doors with the switch 2li. l'lhe numeral 27 indicates `any suitable source of electric current.

The starting switches 24 and 26 may, of course, be provided with safety locks, if desired.

Having thus described our invention, it will be seen that our objects have been accomplished, and, though we have shown the preferred form of construction, we reserve to ourselves the right to make minor changes, provided we do not violate the spirit .and principle of our inventiona lfe claim:

l. A. door opener comprising a base board, cut-out switches mounted at one end of the base board, two hangers disposed in spaced relation at the other end of the base board, a lead .screw rotatably mounted in the hangers, a motor between the end of the lead. screw and the cut-out switches, said .motor being i'irnoly connected with the lead screw, guide rods rigidly mounted between', the hangers parallel to the lead screw, a cross head slidabiy mounted on the guide rods, arms extending from the cross head laterally of the lead screw, said cross head being reciprocated by the lead screw, a tongue projecting from the cross head to the Sarne height as the hangers, a trip rod operatively associated with the cross head and slidably traversing the extreme ends or the 'tongue and hangers, said trip rod extending past madero the motor and connecting with the cut-out switches.. p p

2. A door opener comprising a base board,

Ycut-mit switches mounted at one end of the base board, two hangers disposed in spaced relation at the other end of the base board and at the longitudinal center line thereof,

a lead screw between the hangers and rotatably mounted therein, a motor .attached to the lead screw adjacent to the cut-out switches, a cross head reciprocated by the lead Screw, a tongue projecting from the cross head to the height of the extreme ends of the hangers, a trip rod slidably travers- K ing the extreme ends of the tongue Yand hangers, collars ailixed to the trip rod between the two hangers `to limit the movement of said trip rod, and helical compression springs on the trip rod between the collars and tongue, said trip rod extending past the motor .and connecting with the cutout switches.

3. A. door opener comprising a base board, i

or entering that portion of the lead screw l which has been diminished in diameter, a tongue projecting from the cross head to the same height as the hangers, a trip rod slidably traversing the extreme ends of the tongue and hangers, said trip rod extending past the motor and connecting with the cut out switches, collars on the trip rod between 'the two hangers and helical compression springs mounted on the trip rod on each side ofthe tongue between collar and tongue and capable ot re-engaging the cross head with the lead screw when said cross head enters that portion of the lead screw which has a diminished diameter and when the rotation of the motor is reversed.

Signed by us at Portland, Oregon this lth day of Uctober, 1924. y y

` ROY N. FLACK.

L. D. STURM. 

